Russell Henley saved his best for last. The 37-year-old birdied the final three holes of regulation to force a playoff with Eric Cole, then made it four birdies in a row with a clutch five-footer on the first extra hole to win the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
“That was as nervous as I’ve been over a putt in my whole life,” Henley said. “I just kept telling myself, I want to win. I want to be here. I want to be hitting these putts and be in contention. This is why I practice hard.”
It was a stunning finish from Russell Henley, who had looked out of contention after turning one-over on the front nine, five shots behind Cole. A pep talk from his caddie Andy Sanders proved to be the turning point.
“Andy said, let’s reset, and I just kind of calmed down a little bit and started to hit some good shots,” Henley said.
A Rollercoaster Final Round
Henley started brilliantly with a 20-foot eagle at the first and a birdie at the second, before three straight bogeys at the Horrible Horseshoe, holes three, four, and five, and another at nine brought him back to earth.
He responded with a composed back nine. A clutch 9-foot par save at the 13th kept him alive before back-to-back 15-footers at 16 and 17 and a 17-footer on the 18th dragged him level with Cole at 12-under 268.
In the playoff on the 18th, Henley stuffed a lob wedge to under five feet from 135 yards. Cole missed his 12-foot birdie attempt and Henley rolled in the winner.
Cole’s Heartbreak
Eric Cole had led for most of the final round but a double bogey at the ninth, his first in 316 holes, opened the door. He recovered with a birdie at the par-5 11th to regain the lead and held on until Henley’s late surge caught him.
It was Cole’s second playoff loss on the PGA Tour. He remains without a first victory in 120 starts despite a strong season.
“I was proud with the way I played,” Cole said. “It’s disappointing but I still feel good and happy with the way I played.”
It was also a tough day for defending champion Ben Griffin, who closed with the low round of the day, a 65, but fell one shot short of the playoff. Griffin had been bidding to become the first back-to-back winner at Colonial since Ben Hogan.
Russell Henley claimed his sixth PGA Tour title, surpassing $50 million in career earnings. He also took home the plaid jacket, $1.78 million, and a customised 1982 Jeep Scrambler.
